Correct Response: D. One advantage of generating transgenic plants with desirable traits is that the desirable traits will be passed from one generation to the next. For this to occur, the genes must be incorporated into the germline cells of the transgenic plants. Thus, the ability to be incorporated into new genomes is deliberately designed into the vectors used to transfer the genes to the target plants. Some people are concerned that under the right conditions this vector design could allow the genes to be unintentionally incorporated into other organisms. There are structural differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic gene promoters (A). There is no evidence to date that transgenic crops are unusually susceptible to native plant diseases (B). Some microbes can exchange DNA through conjugation (C), but successful conjugation between microbes and eukaryotic cells is relatively infrequent under natural conditions.
